3-day Eid break for UAE? Saudi, Qatar, Oman get 10-days

UAE residents wait with baited breath to know which will be first day of Eid Al Fitr

By

Bindu Suresh Rai

PublishedWednesday, August 15, 2012

All their bags are packed, and they are ready to go.

But the suspense surrounding the duration of the upcoming Eid break is stretching out tighter than a spine-chilling thriller, even as other GCC nations announce a 10-day break for the public sector.

Neighbouring Oman is the latest country to announce a five-day Eid-Al-Fitr break for the government and public sector, which will give employees nine-day break in Oman; while employees of private sector will get six days.

Khalid bin Hilal bin Saud Al Busaidi, Minister of the Diwan of the Royal Court and Chairman of the Board of Civil Service, Oman, stated government, public sector and state employees will get their break from August 18 to 22, with work resuming on August 25.

Meanwhile, Qatar’s public bodies and institutions will remain closed from Thursday (August 16) to August 27 stated the Amiri Court.

However, financial institutions, including the central bank and bourse, will remain closed for only three days to be determined later.

Similarly, Saudi Arabia is following a similar breakdown for its Eid holidays, with bourse closed until August 24.

So when is Eid really?

Kuwaiti meteorologist and historian Adel Al-Saadoun told KUNA he predicts Eid-Al-Fitr will fall on Sunday, with Ramadan lasting a full 30 days this time around.

Al-Saadoun remarked that calculations at Al-Fintas observatory suggest it would be impossible to see the new crescent in any part of the Muslim World on Friday.

It will be possible to discern the crescent on Saturday, but in Saudi Arabia and countries other than Kuwait, due to specifics of position and time of setting of the sun.

Well-known Kuwaiti astronomer Saleh Al-Ujairi later Sunday also made the same prediction and said Eid Al-Fitr will fall on Sunday.

Dubai resident Yash Mahindra said: “I am booked to fly to Istanbul for the Eid break. But if the holidays are going to extend, I would hope I can alter my flight bookings for no charge.

“However, according to my office calculation, Eid will fall on Sunday so we will surely have Monday off also, right?”

Said Shakir Hussain, a Sharjah resident: “I am already booked on an Air Arabia flight to Pakistan, with my leave starting this Thursday itself.

“My office has assured me, it will adjust the dates to insure my annual leave doesn’t include the Eid break. However, everyone’s mentioned Sunday and Monday as a private sector holiday, so my leave starts from Tuesday officially.”

Meenakshi Gajodhar, who is staying in Dubai for the break, stated: “I don’t care about the number of days, really. As a homemaker, it’s all the same to me.”